British Adult Content Site Visits Declines Following Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, States Regulator
Access to adult content platforms in the UK has fallen significantly after the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has increased.
Sharp Fall in User Numbers After Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt decline in traffic to major pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this slump in viewing continued past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic through another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people before the verification began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Actions included reporting the content to the site to muting the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new rules came into force that require platforms to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Announce Examination of Adult Content Laws
In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for better regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using young-looking performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on pornography sites and respond to reports of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
